Based in Montreal, Silver's origin story mirrors that of many current producers: he started making music in his room, put it on MySpace, came up with a hit remix (Crystal Castles' "Air War"), and started collecting fans as far as the web can stretch. After two EPs, Panesian Nights and The Explorers, Continent is due out October 27 via Paper Bag.

We called up Silver recently to chat about movies, background music, and working at American Apparel:

Pitchfork: I read that you're often influenced by films. What are some especially memorable movies for you?

Michael Silver: I really love Heat by Michael Mann, Dead Ringers by David Cronenberg, and Aguirre and Nosferatu by Werner Herzog. I'm a huge Michael Mann fan. I actually just watched Manhunter, and it blew my mind. There's definitely an atmosphere in his movies that I have in mind when I'm working on music. It's that feeling you get when you walk away from one of his films-- its mood, ambience, style, and the feelings it evoked.

Pitchfork: Do you ever watch a movie on mute while recording?

MS: Not really, but I wouldn't be averse to it. I'm trying to translate what I took away from a film into a song. I'd definitely be interested in scoring movies. Some of my favorite albums happen to be movie scores, like Neil Young's Dead Man score, and even Michael Mann's soundtracks often include avant-garde electronic music like Klaus Schulze, which is a neat touch.

Pitchfork: I'm struck by how comfortable your music seems with being in the background. Even when you're remixing someone like HEALTH-- which is really in-your-face music-- you come up with something you could play while doing homework. Does that speak to your personality at all?

MS: I'm not the kind of person who goes out and parties a whole lot, so it might just be a reflection of that. And I'm not interested in making party music. At the same time, I'm very open to pop music because it's what I listen to 90 percent of the time. I have a really high tolerance for cheesiness because I've listened to so much bad pop music. There was a time when you would have been looked down on for liking something like the Doobie Brothers, but these days people aren't that worried about it.

Pitchfork: When I listen to your instrumental "Raining Patterns", I can't help but think of how good an r&b group like Pretty Ricky would sound on it. How do you feel about vocals in general when it comes to your music?

MS: I wouldn't consider myself a very strong songwriter or vocalist, so most of the time I try and then fail so I just don't bother. I am reaching out to a couple people for vocals now, though, including the Swedish Balearic group Boat Club and Toro Y Moi from South Carolina.

Pitchfork: Do you have any dream vocal collaborators?

MS: I really like David Sylvian, from Japan. And Karin from the Knife is someone I really admire. And Trish from Broadcast.

Pitchfork: Do you still have a day job?

MS: Yeah, unfortunately. I've worked at American Apparel for about three years. It has its perks, though. I contribute to Viva Radio, which is the in-store radio station, and I went to Copenhagen with them this past June.

Pitchfork: Do you get a discount?

MS: Yeah, I get a 50 percent discount. But at this point, I really enjoy it when I don't have to wear those clothes.